Pregnant Before the Royal Marriage

Chapter 833: Chapter 833: Why Did the Princess Consort Wake Up Late _1

The Emperor reclined, a palace maid massaging his legs. He toyed with a string of beads, his expression languid.

Ever since the death of Concubine Jin, the Emperor carried himself in this manner.

The Empress was initially worried, fearing the Emperor would not cope with his grief. However, to her surprise, the Emperor regaled with vigor, bestowing his favor on Concubine Ya.

The Empress was thus relieved.

At her age, joining him in bed was understandably implausible, and she harbored no such desires. Whomever the Emperor wished to favor, whoever he wished to take to his bed, was all acceptable to her.

So long as the Emperor yet lived, she was the Empress.

She was the mistress of the Great Sheng’s imperial harem.

Those two cold-hearted individuals residing in the East Palace shouldn’t dream of undermining her position!

The palace hall was serene. The concubines, who had gathered to liven the scene, remained in polite silence, as both the Emperor and the Empress chose not to speak. They resisted the urge to gossip, sitting upright in perfect decorum.

After a long while, the Empress could no longer contain her curiosity. “Why hasn’t the Princess Consort arrived yet? It’s late. Could she possibly still be asleep? Ah Chun, go check on the East Palace.”

The eunuch named Ah Chun hurriedly scuttled off.

Concubine Shu languidly fanned herself with a jade fan, smiling, she said, “After all, the Princess Consort is still young. It is quite normal for her to oversleep in the spring. Please, settle your anger, Your Majesty.”

“She wants to sleep, can’t she choose another time? Even if she loves to sleep, she should know her limits. How dare she keep His Majesty waiting here?” The Empress was exceedingly dissatisfied.

The Emperor, his gaze slightly lowered, chose to remain silent.

Concubine Yu chuckled, “The Princess Consort spent half the day preparing for the preliminary selection yesterday. When she got back, she still had to look after her children. I heard that Jin Liangyuan was also ill, which caused a ruckus till late at night. The Princess Consort is but a delicate maiden; if she falls ill from exhaustion, it would be unfortunate. We are anyway idle, waiting a little longer won’t matter. Isn’t that right, Concubine Xian?”

Concubine Xian, who had been calmly sitting there without any intention of speaking, was suddenly called upon. Both the Emperor and Empress turned to look at her. She had to muster her energy to respond, “Jin Liangyuan is ill? I wasn’t aware. However, the Princess Consort herself is quite frail.”

The Empress clenched her teeth in secrecy, her gaze sweeping across the other concubines present.

There were quite a few concubines who usually sought to please her, but some of them were of too low a status to be here. Those who were of higher status did not dare to openly offend the Princess Consort.

No one even dared to utter a word in her favor.@@novelbin@@

Especially Concubine Xian. As the biological mother of the Prince of Huai, she had a falling-out with the Princess Consort. Now, she didn’t even dare to speak ill of the Princess Consort.

This clearly demonstrated the skills of the Princess Consort.

As for Concubine Yu, it goes without saying that she flattened herself wholeheartedly to the Princess Consort, as if living in the East Palace would be her greatest joy.

Looking around at her harem, the Empress was shocked to realize that her place as the Empress seemed less secure than that of the Princess Consort.

Normally, the Emperor’s women would fight for power, scheming against each other. Why had things changed in her case?

She found herself in a power struggle with her own daughter-in-law over the concubines.

This was simply outrageous!

The Empress was just stewing over this when Ah Chun returned.

“The Princess Consort is on her way.”

“Why is she this late?” The Empress asked.

“Last night, Jin Liangyuan in the East Palace was ill, and this morning…” Ah Chun paused before he whispered, “The Princess Consort was attending to the Crown Prince, which is why she got up late.”

The Empress: “…”

Concubine Yu let out a soft chuckle.

The other concubines’ expressions were all mixed, but most of them were smiling.

Both the Crown Prince and the Princess Consort were youthful and radiant, with the Prince handsome and the Princess exceedingly beautiful. Their loving atmosphere whilst together was unavoidable.

In broad daylight, who could possibly reproach them?